Zarif is not just Rouhani's Foreign Minister; he has direct ties to the Supreme Leader's office

The Iranian Foreign Minister, who traveled to New York to attend a disarmament conference, stated in an interview with PBS that "Iran does not imprison people for their beliefs." This statement was met with backlash from many former prisoners and civil activists in Iran. Mohammad Javad Zarif, in an interview with Charlie Rose that aired on Wednesday, added, "People who commit crimes and violate the laws of the country cannot hide behind being journalists or political activists." While Zarif claims that no one is imprisoned in Iran for their beliefs, reports from human rights organizations indicate that Iran consistently ranks among the most repressive governments against the press, journalists, political and civil activists, intellectuals, dissenters, religious minorities, and civil society organizations. Freedom House, an organization monitoring civil liberties worldwide, ranked Iran 191 out of 199 countries in its annual report on press freedom, categorizing it as one of the worst in terms of civil liberties. Following the reactions and criticisms to his PBS interview, Zarif wrote on his Facebook page that "a group of compatriots inside and outside have taken my specific, precise, and necessary response to a question about a journalist—whose situation has recently become a pretext for several amendments in the U.S. Senate against the nuclear deal—and have turned it into lengthy articles on this subject, while some friends have graciously judged me without hearing the question and answer!" Zarif was referring to Jason Rezaian, a Washington Post journalist imprisoned in Tehran for nine months. Political analyst Reza Alijani responded to Zarif's comments, suggesting that Zarif sees himself as a defender of the Islamic Republic, despite being able to differentiate the executive branch from other powers. Alijani added that Zarif's direct connection to the Supreme Leader's office might compel him to defend the regime and its evident mistakes, leading to blatant untruths. This is not the first time a member of Hassan Rouhani's government has denied the imprisonment of civil activists for their activities. Last year, Rouhani stated in an interview with CNN that he does not believe anyone has been arrested for journalism or media activities. Despite pledging to free political prisoners during his presidential campaign, Rouhani later indicated that the issue of political prisoners involves the leaders of all three branches of government and requires national consensus. Alijani noted that this stance reflects a broader strategy of Rouhani's government, prioritizing support from the Supreme Leader and addressing nuclear and economic issues over political freedoms. He warned that such repeated statements could negatively impact the government's standing among those interested in participating in upcoming elections. Zarif's remarks have drawn criticism from many civil activists and former prisoners, including journalist Bahman Ahmadi Amoui, who wrote an open letter to Zarif detailing his own imprisonment for journalistic activities. Ahmadi Amoui expressed skepticism about the government's honesty, suggesting that it might deliver significant lies to the public. Zarif also mentioned that the Iranian government has plans to improve human rights, although Alijani pointed out that many human rights violations occur outside the government's control. He emphasized that the government could take positive actions through various ministries but criticized the slow and disappointing pace of reforms. The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Ahmad Shaheed, reported that the human rights situation has worsened under Rouhani's presidency, although there may be steps towards improvement if a nuclear deal is reached.